Images: Why Haven't the Cod Come Back?

Fish scales from assorted Northeast fish species, dating back to the 1930s, are stored at a NOAA warehouse in Pocasset, Mass. The facility also preserves samples of otoliths (ear stones), stomachs, spines, and opercula (bony flaps that protect gills) of fish, as well as shells of clams and scallops. (Photo by Daniel Cojanu)

WHOI biologist Joel Llopiz (left) and Eric Robillard, head of the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Fishery Biology Program, search among cavernous rows of shelves filled with boxes of fish scales and other samples stored in a NOAA warehouse in Pocasset, Mass. The facility is a treasure trove for Llopiz and other scientists who anaylze the samples for their research. (Photo by Daniel Cojanu)